Your Number One Beatles Song

For topics that don't quite fit anywhere else...
User avatar
SL2020
Posts: 43
Joined: Thu Apr 08, 2021 12:34 am

Re: Your Number One Beatles Song

Post by SL2020 »

Come Together
User avatar
Lord Reith
Posts: 4602
Joined: Thu Feb 18, 2021 8:22 am
Location: BBC House
Has thanked: 139 times
Been thanked: 3961 times

Re: Your Number One Beatles Song

Post by Lord Reith »

What a fascinating range of responses. Tomorrow Never Knows gets three honourary mentions, and it's nice to know that there's one other person in the world who also likes Not A Second Time.

My "first" Beatles song was actually Can't Buy Me Love at the start of the Beatles Cartoon. The little sequence that builds up to it - the animated Beatles being chased by girls as the solo to A Hard Day's Night plays in the background, momentary silence, a quick whistle and then the opening lines of the song... I still get goosebumps when i think about it. At the time it was an epiphany. But the song that topped even that was I Want To Hold Your Hand. The strange way in which they sang it and the ultra catchy instrumentation made my hair stand on end. Still does. And it's funny, if anyone else does it, it doesn't really sound like much of a song. Like so many of their early songs, their performance is as much a part of the song as the notes and lyrics.
Women there don't treat you mean, in Abilene
User avatar
dumbchops
Posts: 326
Joined: Thu Mar 18, 2021 2:31 am
Location: Las Vegas, NV
Has thanked: 10 times
Been thanked: 32 times

Re: Your Number One Beatles Song

Post by dumbchops »

Without hesitation it has been "Strawberry Fields Forever" since 1981. For me it defines the perfect marriage of artistic development with commercial success. Also MMT was the 2nd Beatles album I ever owned after the White Album.
My full name is Uncle Capt. "Skipper" Dumbchops and I seem to have misplaced my electric pretzel sharpener.
bonniegreg
Posts: 68
Joined: Wed Feb 17, 2021 2:45 pm
Has thanked: 37 times
Been thanked: 4 times

Re: Your Number One Beatles Song

Post by bonniegreg »

I was exposed to Meet the Beatles when I was 5 by my older brothers who were living Beatlemania in real time. That album was a BIG DEAL in my house and my childhood. The album closer, Not A Second Time, made a lifelong impression on me. It wasn't until I was a teenager and started studying the Beatles catalog in earnest that I realized why it is unique. It's really John's first solo record. There's no George guitar solo and no Paul (or George) harmony vocal. It doesn't match the Beatles' musical blueprint at that time but it closes the album perfectly. Also notable, Ringo's drumming is superlative.
User avatar
mojofilter
Posts: 981
Joined: Mon Apr 19, 2021 6:31 am
Has thanked: 41 times
Been thanked: 174 times

Re: Your Number One Beatles Song

Post by mojofilter »

Can I post again? I saw The Beatles on Ed Sullivan (everybody's family watched Ed on Sunday nights), and I watched their cartoons, and I knew their songs up through Day Tripper and then Magical Mystery Tour (my cousin Jim gave me his CDN mono copy) and then in October 1969 I heard "Come Together" on the radio. It was life-changing for me. I had already thought that I'd vaguely like to be a pianist (had already been learning for five years) when i grew up, but this record cemented it for me. Blew my mind. I gave up any pretense of ever wanting to work in a factory or office, and wanted to play rock and roll with other guys.

But first I had to get good enough. I put all of my energy into it, learning to play with records. And not like I was some goof jamming with the record, I learned to play what the guy on the record was playing. I didn't know who Joe Osborn was for decades, but he was my other inspiration, being on all those hits with The Wrecking Crew. Hal Blaine, too. Word had got around all over somehow that I was a bass player, and one day I got that call. My reputation preceded me. Got my first professional gig at 14 playing bass in a group of adults, where I had to get special permission to play in bars underage. Next group, I played drums, next group I played guitar, next keyboards. Played one or the other through 1998 when I moved far away and got married. Played in basements and kitchens and bars and clubs and auditoriums all over southern Ontario, played with strangers who blew the main group off the stage, earned standing ovations, the whole nine yards. Was never famous, though some people knew who I was. That one record started it all. My life would have been very different without it.
Eye. Eyesore a girl in my dreams.
User avatar
dumbchops
Posts: 326
Joined: Thu Mar 18, 2021 2:31 am
Location: Las Vegas, NV
Has thanked: 10 times
Been thanked: 32 times

Re: Your Number One Beatles Song

Post by dumbchops »

mojofilter wrote: Mon Jul 12, 2021 5:31 am Can I post again? I saw The Beatles on Ed Sullivan (everybody's family watched Ed on Sunday nights), and I watched their cartoons, and I knew their songs up through Day Tripper and then Magical Mystery Tour (my cousin Jim gave me his CDN mono copy) and then in October 1969 I heard "Come Together" on the radio. It was life-changing for me. I had already thought that I'd vaguely like to be a pianist (had already been learning for five years) when i grew up, but this record cemented it for me. Blew my mind. I gave up any pretense of ever wanting to work in a factory or office, and wanted to play rock and roll with other guys.

But first I had to get good enough. I put all of my energy into it, learning to play with records. And not like I was some goof jamming with the record, I learned to play what the guy on the record was playing. I didn't know who Joe Osborn was for decades, but he was my other inspiration, being on all those hits with The Wrecking Crew. Hal Blaine, too. Word had got around all over somehow that I was a bass player, and one day I got that call. My reputation preceded me. Got my first professional gig at 14 playing bass in a group of adults, where I had to get special permission to play in bars underage. Next group, I played drums, next group I played guitar, next keyboards. Played one or the other through 1998 when I moved far away and got married. Played in basements and kitchens and bars and clubs and auditoriums all over southern Ontario, played with strangers who blew the main group off the stage, earned standing ovations, the whole nine yards. Was never famous, though some people knew who I was. That one record started it all. My life would have been very different without it.
This is the best post I've read anywhere in quite a while. Nice story!
My full name is Uncle Capt. "Skipper" Dumbchops and I seem to have misplaced my electric pretzel sharpener.
User avatar
Garrett
Posts: 78
Joined: Wed Apr 14, 2021 3:57 am
Location: Louisiana, USA
Been thanked: 23 times

Re: Your Number One Beatles Song

Post by Garrett »

I've been sitting here pondering between Here, There and Everywhere and She Said She Said... I guess the gunman pulled the trigger already.
miggynav
Posts: 209
Joined: Sun Feb 21, 2021 6:17 am
Has thanked: 83 times
Been thanked: 16 times

Re: Your Number One Beatles Song

Post by miggynav »

I’ll probably have different answer everyday but today, I like For No One.
tanalour
Posts: 67
Joined: Sat Feb 20, 2021 8:21 am
Has thanked: 1 time

Re: Your Number One Beatles Song

Post by tanalour »

You know my name
User avatar
simond9X
Posts: 88
Joined: Tue Feb 23, 2021 5:30 am
Has thanked: 6 times
Been thanked: 7 times

Re: Your Number One Beatles Song

Post by simond9X »

Another vote for 'If I Fell' - perfect song, perfect harmonies. 'This Boy' runs it close on the harmony side but there's just something magical about IIF. So many other contenders though that I'd probably struggle to narrow it down to 50.
Post Reply